


Sunrise, Anew

by lumiereandcogsworth



Series: tasting sweet freedom [3]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, First Morning Post-Curse, Fluff, Second Chances, Sweet, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21832585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumiereandcogsworth/pseuds/lumiereandcogsworth
Summary: The moments of tasting sweet freedom once again had always been at the center of his dreams, and finally it was all coming true. Adam ran his fingers through his hair, it was blond, as it had been since he was a boy. It was the same hair he had gotten from his mother, the hair he was meant to have. It wasn’t brown and straggly andall over his body.When he had finally woken up that bright morning, his brain finally remembering that he had areasonto wake up, he flew out of his bed and ran to his wardrobe to get changed. He had to see Belle.
Relationships: Adam/Belle (Disney)
Series: tasting sweet freedom [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573144
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	Sunrise, Anew

Adam’s eyes opened with much hesitation. His eyes flickered open and shut, failing to make a final decision, knowing that continuing to sleep would be the far better option. The prince finally elected to wake up. The sunshine was casting a shade of soft yellow onto his white pillows, it was indeed sunrise. Adam slowly stretched out his arms, he was laying on his stomach and his face had been buried in his pillow seemingly all night. As his vision focused, he looked at his arms and hands in front of him. His heart leapt as he curled his new human fingers. He laced his fingers together and then pulled them apart, looking at his human palms as if for the first time. His human nails sat upon his human fingers attached to his human hands and human arms. The curse really  _ was _ lifted. Adam couldn’t believe his eyes, couldn’t believe what had happened yesterday. It had all been so… unreal; something he’d imagined a thousand times in his beastly head when he had first been cursed. Well, not exactly in the intense and nearly terrifying way that it had happened, but the curse had been lifted nonetheless. The moments of tasting sweet freedom once again had always been at the center of his dreams, and finally it was all coming true. Adam ran his fingers through his hair, it was blond, as it had been since he was a boy. It was the same hair he had gotten from his mother, the hair he was meant to have. It wasn’t brown and straggly and  _ all over his body.  _ When he had finally woken up that bright morning, his brain finally remembering that he had a  _ reason _ to wake up, he flew out of his bed and ran to his wardrobe to get changed. He had to see Belle. 

Yes, Belle. The woman who had changed his life. The woman who he wanted to wake up for, live for, even. Oh, Belle. Her sweet eyes and her smile that nearly knocked Adam off his feet every time he was graced with it. Oh, but her mind. The way she sees the world, the way she articulates her every thought, how she fights her opinions, how she believes in them. Oh, dearest, beautiful,  _ magnificent _ Belle. The woman he’d longed for, the woman he’d dreamed of but never thought he’d really see. The woman who stumbled into his castle by the mere  _ chance _ of life. Oh, wonderful, adventurous, spectacular Belle. Adam could hardly contain himself, rushing a shirt over his head and a robe around his shoulders. He ran to the door, but stopped himself, turning around and admiring his chambers. It was clean, put together, the vision of royalty once more. He couldn’t believe this was real, but if it were to be a dream as he highly suspected, he was going to take in as much as he could before he really woke up. The prince turned and left his chambers, descending the stairs and heading for one very important room on the east wing. 

When the prince finally got to the door, raising a fist to knock, he stopped. His stomach turned and nerves ran down his spine. What if she didn’t want to see him anymore? What if Belle had spent the whole night in that room wondering how she was going to explain to Adam that she just didn’t want to be there anymore? Maybe this was all just too much for her, maybe she didn’t want this life, maybe she was just trapped there. Maybe she desperately wanted nothing more than to run back to Villeneuve and be in her cottage with her papa. Maybe she’d left in the night and wasn’t even there anymore. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Adam began lowering his fist, discouraged. What was he doing? He shouldn’t be bothering her anyway. He loved her, and that was the hardest thing he had ever let his heart do. He didn’t want to ruin things now, maybe he should just let her be. Maybe… Maybe… Maybe he should just knock on the door anyway. 

Adam knocked on the door as if someone else had taken his fist and done it for him. He wasn’t even paying attention while doing it, which is why he was so startled when a voice called “who is it?” from the other side. He was frozen; forgetting words altogether. That was his Belle, she  _ had _ stayed. Perhaps this was all real after all. 

“It’s me,” he let out. He didn’t know why he said that. He told her his name yesterday, after the curse had lifted and he was himself once more. She knew it and better yet, she said she liked it. He could’ve said ‘Adam’ like normal people do when people ask who it is. It apparently didn’t alter Belle’s decision to open the door or not, however, because the door creaked open nonetheless. It was slow at first, with Belle’s brown eyes peering through the slowly growing opening. She knew it was him, no one else would’ve said that to her. His voice was new, though, and she was still learning it. She was finding, however, that she quite loved it. He was rather soft-spoken in his true form. It made her smile, tickled her even. Belle opened the door fully and smiled at her prince before her. She couldn’t believe it was really him, really the man she’d fallen in love with. She knew it was him, but memories of gunshot blasts and blood stains kept flashing in her memory. She just couldn’t believe he was alive. Losing him had felt all too real, the curse lifting before her very eyes had been too incredible, too… perfect. She tried to shake herself awake. The love of her life was standing in front of her and it seemed they both were in awe of the person before them, the one they’d always dreamed of. 

“Hi- erm- good morning,” Adam said, stumbling over his greetings. What do you say to the most wonderful woman in the world? There certainly wasn’t a book on the matter.

“Good morning,” Belle replied. Her heart was pounding with joy. The longer they stood before each other the more Belle believed in love. She could see how nervous her Adam was, she knew how much he wanted things to go right. She wanted to kiss him on the cheek and tell him he was doing everything just fine,  _ just breathe, love. _

“Did you sleep well?” Adam asked, smiling and trying to stop his nervous habit of picking at his nails. He folded his hands behind his back, in the hopes Belle wouldn’t think him too nervous. Adam looked at her like all he cared about in the whole world was if she slept well. He couldn’t believe the chance he’d been given. After all he’d done, all he was, this was his ultimate reward. Lucky couldn’t even begin to cover how Adam felt. 

“I did,” Belle answered. “How did  _ you _ sleep?” She asked, far more curious about his first night as a human again. She couldn’t even imagine how good it must have felt to be himself again, but it quickly became evident by the smile that formed on his face. Oh, how Belle was rapidly falling in love with that smile. 

Adam held his grin as he formed his answer. “Better than I have in a long time,” he nearly laughed. He really hadn’t slept better. Even before the curse, he was always restless, dissatisfied, unhappy. Finally, Adam had found a peace he thought was only in story books. “Would you care to join me for breakfast?” Adam offered, sincerely hoping she’d accept, not sure what he’d do if she didn’t. He wasn’t ready to be apart from her just yet, even for a moment to change her clothes or fix her hair. She didn’t need to anyway, she looked perfect. He planned on telling her that at least five times a day for as long as he’d live, he decided right then.

“Yes, I would,” Belle answered promptly. She was hoping he’d invite her somewhere. She knew she was going to eat breakfast, but she certainly didn’t want to be away from him for it. She wanted to know his face, she wanted to touch his cheek and let her fingers run through his hair. She wanted nothing more than to be by his side in that moment, so she closed the door behind her and stepped out into the corridor. Their eyes never left each other. Adam hesitantly took a small step, but not before Belle hooked her arm through his. He quickly adjusted his arm for her, placing his free hand over hers, squeezing it. It all felt just as it should, safe and warm. The pair of them walked down the corridor, sharing a sweet silence that they’d often shared when they read together in the library, or walked in the gardens outside. Belle cherished the moments they’d shared, she felt so right with him; so accepted, so understood, so  _ loved _ . 

“I’m glad you’re still here,” Adam muttered, eyes looking down the way, now afraid to meet hers, knowing how foolish he sounded. 

“Where would I go?” Belle asked with a chuckle, knitting her eyebrows. She loved this castle, every day she found new places to explore in it. There was so much history in it, too. Cogsworth had talked her ears off one sunny morning all about the different antique ornaments that were placed throughout the castle, the ones that  _ weren’t _ actually members of the staff, he made sure to point out. Every pillar had a story, every thread of the carpets. This castle was also Adam’s home, and it gave Belle an immense amount of pride to be in his home. Though she knew it wasn’t always a cheerful place for him, she believed she could help him return joy to the castle once more. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Adam replied, his embarrassment confirmed in Belle’s joking tone. Of course she’d stay, where would she go? “For a moment, I suppose I was worried that this was all a dream. That  _ you _ were all a dream…” He trailed off. He sounded foolish, why was he saying all of this? But it  _ was _ how he felt, and he was trying his best to be everything to her, to be his honest self- regardless of how disgusted he made himself feel, how unworthy of her he knew he was. So, he let his words sit in the air between them, hanging like a chandelier from the ceiling. Belle stopped them in the corridor, taking her arm from his and standing in front of him. She had a sadness in her eyes, wishing she could take his worries away, wanting to kiss his face a hundred times over until he felt loved enough. She still had a smile on her face, one of hope and gentleness; things Adam had not known in years. 

“Well,” Belle began, rather matter-of-fact. “I am very much real, my dear Adam.” Hearing his name come from her lips still made his heart soar, even a whole day after he’d told her and she’d said it countless times. “And I am very much still in love with you.” She had her hands on his arms, squeezing them as if giving him an arm’s length hug. Adam smiled wide at her words. Her beautiful, affirming words. He looked down at his feet and blushed like a school boy.

“I’m… I’m very glad to hear that,” he muttered. Belle stepped closer to him, putting a hand on his cheek and smiling up at him. He looked into her eyes, still in disbelief but all the more in love. He put his hands on her waist, pulling her even closer and leaning down to meet her lips with his. They kissed there in the corridor, softly and full of love and assurance and knowing all too well that this was what they’d been waiting for. They pulled away, keeping their arms around the other. “I love you too, you know,” Adam said, and she did know.


End file.
